


star light, star bright

by 5tarlight_ace



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Best Friends, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:02:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22065199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5tarlight_ace/pseuds/5tarlight_ace
Summary: Excerpt:“Hey Yuchan, why are you sitting with me? Don’t you have friends to eat lunch with?”“Yeah, but I told them I wanted to eat alone today.”“Oh.” His answer perplexed you, but you felt your anxiety rising up again so you panicked, “Sh-should I leave then?”Yuchan blinked at you questioningly. “Did you want to eat alone?”His eyes seemed so puppy-like and full of concern that you didn’t know how to answer. “Well, no…”“I don’t mind if you stay. We can be alone together,” he grinned. A smile grew on your face, and when Yuchan began to laugh, you couldn’t help but join him. The anxiety that clouded your mind slowly faded away, and you later learned, tended to stay away as long as Yuchan was by your side.
Relationships: Kang Yuchan | Chan/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	star light, star bright

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story for @luvchanshine from a prompt she posted on Twitter - "best friend soccer player yuchan au, 3000 words, fluff, angst, best friends to lovers, mutual pining, slow burn"  
> Definitely didn't turn out to be 3k words, but hopefully I ticked the other boxes ^^ 
> 
> Other characters mentioned: Junhee (A.C.E), Feeldog (BIGSTAR/UNB), Hyunjin (LOONA)

Without a doubt, Kang Yuchan was a star. He was the varsity soccer team’s star midfielder, an honours student on the dean's list, and the campus’ heartthrob. Most importantly, he was your star. If he hadn’t sat with you that one day in elementary school, you honestly don’t know how you would’ve turned out. You had recently transferred schools, and instead of joining a random table and possibly making new friends, your introverted tendencies dragged you over to an empty table to eat lunch. Within five minutes, a figure stopped in front of you. Dread pooled in your stomach as you eyed your lunch, not wanting to look up just yet. You knew what was going to happen next - this person was going to glare at you and then yell at you, and you were going to run out of the lunchroom with your hypothetical tail between your legs. But much to your surprise, you looked up to see a soft smile and the sweetest voice ask if the seat across from you was free. You could only manage the slightest nod before he smiled the brightest smile you’ve ever seen and plopped himself down.

“You’re new, aren’t you? I haven’t seen you around before. I’m Yuchan. Nice to meet you!” He extended a hand which you hesitantly took, and he proceeded to shake it almost violently in excitement.

“I’m Y/N, nice to meet you,” you said quietly. “Yeah, today’s my first day.” You didn’t know what else to say. You felt so awkward, but Yuchan wasn’t fazed by your lack of conversation at all.

He looked at you for a few seconds and said, “It’s okay to be nervous and scared. I can be your friend and show you around if you want. I also tend to talk a lot, so it’s okay if you don’t have anything to say,” he chuckled. “Oh, but tell me if I ever annoy you okay? Silence is nice. A lot of people find silence awkward, but I think it’s really peaceful.”

You nodded in response to his statements, and the two of you settled into silence as you ate. Anxiety clouded your mind, so you ate slower than you normally would have. Thoughts were swirling through your mind so quickly that within a minute, you were convinced that Yuchan was going to spread rumours about you. After watching Yuchan periodically greet people as they passed by, you asked, “Hey Yuchan, why are you sitting with me? Don’t you have friends to eat lunch with?”

“Yeah, but I told them I wanted to eat alone today.”

“Oh.” His answer perplexed you, but you felt your anxiety rising up again so you panicked, “Sh-should I leave then?”

Yuchan blinked at you questioningly. “Did you want to eat alone?”

His eyes seemed so puppy-like and full of concern that you didn’t know how to answer. “Well, no…”

“I don’t mind if you stay. We can be alone together,” he grinned. A smile grew on your face, and when Yuchan began to laugh, you couldn’t help but join him. The anxiety that clouded your mind slowly faded away, and you later learned, tended to stay away as long as Yuchan was by your side.

People thought Yuchan would eventually talk your ears off or that you would bore Yuchan to death, but the two of you remained attached at the hip. Over time, Yuchan’s hyperactivity mellowed out and you were slowly brought out of your iron-clad shell. Elementary school became high school, and high school became university. A lot of things changed over the years, but a lot of things stayed the same. You walked your own paths but kept in pace with each other.

Yuchan grew taller than you in high school, which he wouldn’t stop teasing you about for a few months. However, you took advantage of being the more courageous one. You got your first ear piercings together, but he only agreed to accompany you when you wanted more. He claimed it was because he didn’t want to experience getting hit in the ear during soccer practice, but you knew where his true worries lay and let him sit quietly in the chair beside you. Surely, you were the one holding his hand for support.

Even though you were the fashion major, Yuchan ended up being the more fashionable one. He liked experimenting with a bunch of hair colours (with you as his colourist) and loved to model the clothing you made, often loving them enough to ask if he could add the pieces to his closet. After catching you use your own measurements for your first fashion project in high school, Yuchan insisted that you use him for all subsequent projects, to which you reluctantly agreed after much persuasion and stubbornness on his part. Even though he was your best friend and using an actual person other than yourself made things a lot easier, you were terrified of making any mistakes because it would end up wasting his time. As a result, you became super meticulous very early on, always double and triple checking your work, to make sure you wouldn’t let him down. It was the least you could do for his never ending support.

Yuchan started playing soccer in high school and ended up making the university’s varsity team. Despite having vastly different schedules nowadays, you continued your tradition of sewing in the fashion lab until he was done practice so you could grab food and walk home together. The two of you frequented your favourite restaurants so often that the workers knew your names and recognized your phone numbers when you called ahead for takeout. It was slightly embarrassing, but you enjoyed the extra sides or drinks they’d give in gratitude for being long-term customers. Even some of the owners recognized the two of you, and would always tease the two of you by asking whether you were dating yet, to which you always politely denied.

It wasn’t only the shop owners that were interested in your love lives. All of your close friends and even the ones who weren’t as close clearly saw something uniquely intimate about your relationship. They were all equally flabbergasted and appalled that the two of you weren’t anything more than best friends. Despite years of being fully aware that you were _the_ relationship of interest among your peers, you and Yuchan never talked about it. It seemed like your relationship was a forbidden topic, but neither of you could deny that it was getting harder to avoid the elephant in the room. It was just a waiting game at this point, to see who would crack first.

* * *

“Oh c’mon, it’s a home game! Watch it with us for once!” Heejin tugged on your sleeve, pouting at you with wide eyes.

“I was going to work on my next project… It’s a nightmare,” you groaned.

“Oh? What’s the topic?” Ryujin asked.

“Going outside of my comfort zone, so basically anything feminine.”

“More like anything Not-Yuchan. At least you have a lot to choose from,” Ryujin chuckled.

“That’s too general. I think I’m gonna screw myself over by choosing an haute couture gown, but I’ll get higher marks if I manage to pull it off.”

“You’ll be able to, I believe in you,” Heejin said proudly.

“I’m honestly surprised Hyunjin’s outfit last term turned out so well. Girl clothes are so much harder to make,” you sighed.

“Or maybe it’s because you’re so used to making clothes for Yuchan that you find guy clothes easier,” Ryujin smiled, raising an eyebrow.

“Ha ha ha,” you said dryly. “All the more reason to get a head start on practicing with all the materials I hate if I’m gonna even dream of making a dress,” you muttered.

“I’m sure that you, the school’s most dedicated fashion student, will be absolutely fine skipping out on one night of sewing to attend her _bestest_ friend’s soccer game,” she grinned, looping her arm around yours. “Besides, you can surprise Yuchan! I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you. When’s the last time you’ve seen him play?” Heejin inquired.

“Some time back in high school? I went to a couple of games since he was the best player at our school.” When he first started, Yuchan used to always ask you if you wanted to watch him play, but after rejecting him enough times and knowing that you strongly preferred quieter indoor spaces, he only invited you to the games he felt were most important.

“Okay Yuchan might’ve been good in high school, but he’s levelled up so much since he joined the varsity team,” she gushed. “You have to see him. He literally _flies_. I shit you not, he’s made soccer into an art,” she gushed.

Seeing as they weren’t going to let you spend your Friday night holed up at your workstation in the lab, you let them drag you to the school’s field on the North side of campus. Images of ruined fabric along with fragments of frustration filled your mind, but you pushed them aside with memories of a younger Yuchan running across your old high school’s field, his smile as bright as the sun shining on his face.

Your university’s bleachers were quite an upgrade from your high school’s non-existent ones. You remember standing under a tree near the field back then, watching Yuchan from a distance, and when he asked if you could even see anything from there, you told him that you could see him just fine and even had a nice patch of shade as an added bonus. These bleachers saved you from the pain that came from standing for a long time, but offered zero UV protection. Luckily, it was a beautiful autumn day - partly cloudy with a light breeze. You still weren’t sure about how you felt about how rowdy the crowd was, but you just accepted it as typical university behaviour.

Your eyes never left Yuchan for the whole first half. He was just so captivating to watch, and you could see the immense improvement Heejin was talking about. All of the time he has invested in the sport and the gym has really paid off. You decided to lay off the gym rat teases from now on. He looked so ethereal, so confident, so _devilish_ that you almost didn’t recognize him. He was still the same person, of course, but it had been such a long time since you saw him play that his presence on the field somehow slipped out of your mind.

The teams were even at 1-1 by the end of the first half. Both sides looked to be pretty skilled, so you weren’t sure who would win. You hoped your school would win, but you honestly didn’t know enough about soccer to make any judgments. A few players ran onto the field just before halftime ended to greet the crowd. Among them was Yuchan. You were confident that there were enough people such that he couldn't possibly spot you but as his gaze swept over your section, he squinted momentarily before waving like a maniac, a huge ear splitting grin on his face. You waved sheepishly, to which he then made a large heart above his head, his body leaning from side to side. When you began shaking your head, urging him to stop, he began jumping around to attract more attention towards you until you relented, making a circle with your hands and then biting it into a heart. He laughed. Though you couldn’t possibly hear him at that distance, you heard him as clear as day inside your head. He then gestured to the jacket you were wearing and winked, giving you a thumbs up before running off to greet more spectators.

Looking back at your friends, you raised a brow at their varied expressions. Heejin‘s jaw was on the floor in disbelief and Ryujin was a perfect replica of the smirking emoji.

“You guys honestly need to get a room,” Ryujin said.

“Right? What the heck was that? I think I got like 5 cavities,” Heejin held her jaw as if she was in pain and Ryujin let out a little laugh.

“Seriously, just jump each other,” Ryujin urged, putting her hands together in demonstration.

“I think I have diabetes, Y/N,” Heejin pouted.

“Release all the sexual tension that has been building up for the past decade, please,” Ryujin groaned dramatically.

“Guys, relax. We’re just friends,” you stressed, putting an end to their exchanges. Both of them rolled their eyes at you.

“Hold on, is that jacket Yuchan’s?” Ryujin asked, finally putting a finger on where she had seen the garment before.

“Oh, yeah! I meant to return it today but it got chilly so I put it on earlier.” It was draped across your arm when you bumped into Heejin and Ryujin, and you decided to wear it after a particularly strong breeze sent a shiver through you.

She hummed mischievously. “I thought it looked familiar. When did he give it to you?”

“This one? Um, probably on Tuesday? I haven’t had the chance to return it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what do you mean ‘this one’?”

“I think I have two jackets? It’s hard to remember.”

“The feeling when you’ve shared clothing for so long, you get confused whose clothing it is,” Ryujin stated incredulously.

Heejin nodded enthusiastically with an exaggerated pout. “RIGHT? Honestly, goals. I need me a Yuchan.”

“You just need a guy best friend.” You sounded like a broken record at this point trying to convince your friends of the disappointing truth. On the other hand, they haven’t stopped proposing the best case scenario to you.

“Pleaaase. Guy best friends just turn into boyfriends,” Ryujin complained and Heejin nodded in agreement. “You and Yuchan are the longest standing exception to that rule thus far.”

“And you guys haven’t even talked about it! What if he likes you too?” Heejin rebuked.

“This is why you two of you should just get drunk together - someone’s bound to make the first move. Honestly, at this rate you’re gonna lose him to someone who doesn’t deserve him. Are you really gonna let some other girl sink her slimy claws into Yuchan?” Ryujin interrogated, gesturing towards the cheerleaders on the field who were well-known to be highly promiscuous.

“Yuchan wouldn’t let them,” you protested.

“It’s not like you’re together 24/7. He could be getting it on with a different girl every night for all you know,” Ryujin pointed out with a shrug.

“Can we not talk about this?” you groaned.

“I’m just saying, Yuchan should be pretty high up on some of their hit lists if he’s managed to avoid them for this long, especially since he’s one of the top varsity players.”

You buried your head in your hands, not wanting to continue the conversation. Luckily, the buzzer signalling the start of the game saved you from any further discussion. However, Ryujin’s words kept going around in your mind. Everything she said was true, so you couldn’t hold it against her for being brutally honest about your best interests. It’s not like you haven’t nursed the thought of dating Yuchan before, but you appreciated him too much to compromise what you had built over the years. The most blatant expression of your love for the boy was your fierce dedication to your craft. Both worked in harmony - you loved fashion design, and using Yuchan as your muse made everything much more enjoyable. At the core, he was the reason why you worked so hard, and without him you knew you’d have trouble continuing on. He truly was your North star, illuminating the path ahead. Confessing would just makes things messy, and life was great where it was.

A couple of minutes into the second half, Heejin commented, “Weird observation, but is Yuchan being more extra?”

“Oh, it wasn’t just me who was thinking that?” Ryujin mused.

“Wait, what do you mean?” you asked, confused. Yuchan looked pretty much the same as he did the first half - amazing. But then again, you didn’t really know much about the sport.

“He’s making riskier plays and really testing his stamina,” Heejin explained.

“He’s gonna get hurt,” you groaned, digging your nails into the sleeves of his jacket. You rubbed the material, trying to calm your nerves.

“He’s showing off now that he knows his best friend’s watching,” Ryujin teased. “You can nurse him back to health if he gets hurt,” she winked.

“I have a fashion project to bring to life, I don’t need an injured Yuchan on my plate,” you grumbled, and the other two giggled before refocusing on the game.

Mainly due to Yuchan’s shift in performance taking the other team by surprise, your team ended up winning 4-1. Much to your relief, no one got injured. After waiting for most people to exit, you followed the girls down the bleachers to the field to find Yuchan. As the three of you made your way across the field, you noticed a number of cheerleaders glaring at you and whispering amongst themselves. Heejin noticed your gaze and let out a laugh. “I bet it’s because they know this is Yuchan’s,” she snickered, nodding toward your jacket.

“Are you serious?” You were torn between hiding your face with the hood and putting it to your backpack.

“Pretty sure.”

“Why do I have the feeling that I’m going to die in a ditch tonight?”

“Get Yuchan to protect you,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.

“Isn’t that just using Y/N as bait to get to Yuchan?” Ryujin chuckled.

Heejin made a noise of acknowledgment. “You’re right. I guess you’re both doomed then. I’ll send out a search party if I don’t see you online tomorrow,” she grinned, laughing with Ryujin as you rolled your eyes.

As if he could sense you coming towards him, Yuchan turned around and casually waved to the three of you behind his back before excusing himself from the small group of teammates he was with. “Hey Heejin, Ryujin,” Yuchan greeted your friends. “No Hyunjin today?”

Heejin shook her head. “Nah, she’s studying for her midterm tomorrow.”

Yuchan winced. “Aw, weekend midterms suck. Tell her good luck for me,” he told them before placing his hands on your shoulders. “Anyway, I’m going to steal Y/N from you, if that’s okay.”

“Oh, you don’t have to ask us for permission, Yuchan,” Heejin said before the pair waved goodbye and hurried away.

“Bye! Thanks for coming!” He called after them, and you could hear their faint tinkle of laughter. “So, what’s the occasion?” Yuchan asked as he slung an arm over your shoulders and led you back towards the physical activities complex. You kept your eyes trained forward, not daring to look back at the cheerleaders who were probably glaring daggers into the back of your head. First the jacket and now skinship to a stranger? You were definitely dying a ditch tonight.

“What do you mean?”

“Why’d you come to today’s game? I fully expected to find you in the lab after the game,” Yuchan inquired.

“That’s where I was planning to be, until they dragged me here.” You pointed back to where you stood just moments ago. “They said I should surprise you.”

Yuchan nodded. “Well, consider me very surprised. I’m also impressed that it was so easy to convince you,” he pouted, with a hint of envy.

“They made me realize that I haven’t been to a game since your last one in high school, so I felt guilty,” you confessed.

Yuchan gently pinched your cheeks. “Aww, don’t feel bad. Last season’s finals just didn’t work out. I missed your showcase too, remember?"

You smiled grimly at the memory from just a few months prior. By some unlucky twist of fate, Yuchan’s final tournament game was scheduled on the same day as your end-of-year fashion showcase. It was the only day you had considered rethinking your decision to use Yuchan as your only model, because you ended up doing an insane amount of adjustments to make your project fit the replacement model. You speculated that this is where you were deducted the most points during the final evaluation, ending up in third place as opposed to first where everyone predicted you’d be. “At least one of us won that day,” you smiled, remembering the selfie Yuchan took with the trophy that he sent immediately after his tournament ended. Your showcase had ended earlier during his game and that picture significantly brightened your mood.

“Hey. Third is still a win, considering all the stuff you had to do because I couldn’t go. Surely things will work out this time around and you’ll get first,” he stated.

“Hopefully.”

“Believe in yourself,” he stressed, holding your shoulders with both hands and shaking you lightly.

“No,” you huffed in a high pitch, tightly scrunching your face as you crossed your arms.

He laughed at your sudden display of cuteness. “Fine, I believe in you enough to make up for your lack of faith,” he assured with a gentle tousle of your hair, and you were so touched that you didn’t know how to respond and just ended up nodding. Soon enough, the two of you arrived at the changerooms and you took a seat on the bench nearby as Yuchan went to change.

A few minutes later, Yuchan emerged with his duffel bag slung across his body. He went in looking like a normal boy and came out so different that you had to point it out to him.

“Do I really?” he asked.

“Yeah. All black, hat backwards, hood on, and a lip ring? Literally screams ‘don’t touch me’,” you chuckled.

“Okay, the hat is to hide my unruly hair and the hood is to hide my ears because putting in my earrings would’ve taken too long and I didn’t want to keep you waiting, but the lip ring is easy so whatever. Uhh, the black is because I got lazy this morning so I went for whatever I saw first. Oh, and you made this hoodie so I was like ‘ah, gotta bring this’,” he explained, words flying out of his mouth. “You know, people always ask me where I get my clothes.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. Have you ever thought of selling your clothes? We have professional pictures for most of the stuff you make anyway, so I wouldn’t be that hard to make an online store.”

“Sometimes. But I don’t have enough time to make all the orders. And you also wouldn’t have something exclusive,” you teased.

“I’d be fine with that, because I still have the first one,” he stated proudly. “But yeah, I guess the idea needs some more planning,” he pursed his lips.

A few minutes after leaving the complex, you heard a voice calling Yuchan’s name. You both turned around to see a girl waving at him, surrounded by a bunch of people you recognized to be cheerleaders and other players on the soccer team. Her arm was looped around a senior player you didn’t know before she jogged over to the two of you. You felt yourself grow smaller immediately, your eyes immediately looking at the ground as you noticed how breathtakingly beautiful she was. Of course all cheerleaders were pretty, what were you expecting? Yuchan distracted you from your negative thoughts by moving his hand to the small of your back. He almost never displayed this level of skinship in public, so you shifted your gaze to him but he continued to look at the girl. All you received was a light scratching, as if he was telling you to trust him.

“Yuchan! There’s a party at my place tonight! The whole team’s invited, but you have to come since you played so well today! ” Her voice wasn’t as screechy as you’d hoped, but her presence still dampened your mood. “We’re actually headed to dinner right now, if you wanna join us,” she said almost seductively, leaning closer to Yuchan with every sentence while running a hand through her hair. Looking at her, you didn’t think she even saw you beside him.

His hand shifted to grip your hip tightly, and you almost squeaked in surprise. Your eyes definitely widened reflexively. “I already have plans for tonight, but thanks for the invite, Eunbi,” he politely replied.

She pouted, and you could see that she was used to getting what she wanted. “Okay. Let me know if you still want to come. You know where I live,” she winked at him before giving you a once-over and sashaying away.

The pair of you stayed motionless for a while, watching Eunbi and her group walk away, before Yuchan visibly shivered, letting out a noise of disgust. “Ugh, she creeps me out so much.”

“She’s… interesting,” you said, still thinking about her final statement. How did Yuchan know her address? Surely it was because of his teammates and not her, right?

“I wish she would just leave me alone,” he complained.

“I’m sure she’ll get the idea eventually…?”

He shook his head. “Don’t think so, she’s pretty persistent.”

“Just tell her you’re gay or something,” you offered. “Change your lockscreen to Kwangsuk!”

“I don’t think she’d believe me. Besides, I don’t think she’s ever seen my phone. Do _you_ even know what my wallpaper is?” He smirked.

You thought for a while, but couldn’t come up with anything. “You have a point,” you confessed. “What is it?”

“Secret,” he grinned. “But now you’re gonna try to see my phone, so I probably have to change it.”

“Boooo,” you complained, hitting his arm. “I bet it’s Irene or some member from Red Velvet.”

“Not even close. It’s a pretty girl, though.”

“If it’s not an idol, I have no chance of guessing who it is,” you huffed.

“I guess you’re out of luck, then,” he shrugged.

“Let me seeee,” you poked his arm repeatedly until he relented.

“I’ll show you for a split second. You probably won’t even recognize who it is.” He fished his phone out of his pocket and flickered the screen for a split second. The photo was of a person sleeping on a table, holding what might’ve been the photographer’s hand. Their face wasn’t visible from the angle, so it was impossible to tell who it was. It felt as aesthetic as it was intimate, and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was Yuchan holding a girl’s hand in that photo. Jealousy brewed within you, and you could feel your mood dampening by the second. How could he openly show you a picture of him holding someone else’s hand? Yuchan had never spoken about being interested in anyone, and now seeing that photo made you feel insecure about your place in Yuchan’s life. Maybe he never thought of you romantically and all of his kindness and oddly intimate gestures were just because you were his best friend that he friendzoned years ago-

“Hello? Earth to Y/N,” Yuchan said as he waved his hand in front of your face, causing you to snap out of your thoughts and blink blankly at him. “Damn, my wallpaper basically paralyzed you for a good 30 seconds,” he chuckled.

“I-it’s pretty,” you coughed, starting to walk in the direction of your homes.

Yuchan gave you a disbelieving look. “That’s all you have to say?”

“Um, you showed it for like, less than a second. I couldn’t really tell what the picture was.”

“It was sleeping beauty,” he said, and you could hear a hint of fondness in his tone.

“Yeah, I guess,” you trailed off. “Are you really not going to stop by the party?”

He looked at you, offended. “And die at the hands of Eunbi and some of the other cheerleaders? No thanks,” he shuddered.

“Okay I meant you should go celebrate with your friends, aka your team,” you clarified. “Maybe have a drink or two, I don’t know.”

“You’re my friend too. Wanna celebrate back at my place?”

Giving him a pointed look, you replied, “That’s hardly the same, Yuchan. It’s Friday night and you won the game, so tonight’s party is probably going to be super lit.”

“Okay, I’ll buy some soju and beer and it’ll essentially be the same.”

“Just a lot fewer people.”

“Quality over quantity, Y/N.” Yuchan always had a magical way of cheering you up, even when he was the reason for your foul mood.

“Alright, I hope you can hold your liquor in this time,” you grinned, to which he let out an exasperated groan and ran a hand through his hair.

“I can’t believe you’re still clowning me for that! It’s been years!” He complained.

“And you still have zero body fat,” you shrugged, hitting his stomach.

“Hey, I’ve been trying to gain weight, but soccer just melts it all off!”

“Maybe you should pick up a more sedentary hobby.”

“Should I be your assistant, then?”

You let out a loud laugh. “You? Around needles? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

He stumbled dramatically and put a hand to his chest. “Why do you have to keep hurting me, Y/N?”

You chuckled and the two of you settled into a comfortable silence. While Yuchan stopped by the liquor store to buy the alcohol, you went to the grocery store for a pack of Yakult and a bottle of sprite. Though somaek was great at getting you drunk, you almost always started off with yogurt soju. Seeing that you were the first one to finish shopping, you waited in front of the liquor store for Yuchan.

“Alright, I got one strawberry soju for the yogurt and one normal for the somaek,” Yuchan said as he made his way over to you.

“Good boy. Let’s goooo,” you said, starting to walk back to Yuchan’s place, but he held your arm to stop you.

“Do you know what I want?”

“A shower?”

He gave you an unimpressed look. “Okay, yes, but I was thinking of something else.”

“Food?”

“Yes.”

“What do you want? Order it now so it’ll arrive by the time you shower.” Yuchan stared at the sky for what seemed like a minute before you prompted him for an answer. “Literally anything, winner boy. There’s plenty to choose from if you want something in this plaza, and tons more if you want delivery.” You waved your arm around, but Yuchan paid you no mind.

“I kinda want budaejjigae,” he finally said, “Like a big one where we eat from the pot.”

“Do you want me to make it or do you wanna order it?”

He gasped in delight, sidling up to you with a large smile on his face. “Are you offering to cook?!” He nudged your shoulder with his. You laughed at his excitement before nodding.

“Yeah sure, I can make it when you’re showering. What do you have?”

“Hmm, I have most of the ingredients, but we still need to pick up some stuff,” he said, counting the things he wanted to buy on his fingers.

“Okay, let’s go get whatever you want. The faster we shop, the faster we get to eat and drink soooooju!” You twirled around with your arms in the air and skipped towards the entrance of the grocery store. Yuchan ran after you, accompanied by one of his trademark screams.

Everything went smoothly after returning to Yuchan’s place. You whipped up the budaejjigae while Yuchan was in the shower and the two of you made yogurt soju cocktails while watching YouTube as you waited for the stew to boil. When your glasses were empty and the food was happily boiling away, you made somaek and dug into the delicious meal.

Once you caught yourself staring blankly at nothing in particular for who knows how long, you knew you were considerably drunk. Yuchan was fast asleep, snoring on the table across from you. How you hadn’t noticed the raucous noise before this was indeed a mystery. You noticed his phone sitting innocently on the table. Looking between the device and its owner who looked to be deeply asleep, your inebriated self decided to screw the possible consequences and grabbed the phone. You squinted at the photo, periodically tapping the screen when it dimmed to stop it from turning off. The hand was definitely Yuchan’s - you could see a sliver of the black ring he always wore on his left index finger. That meant he probably took the photo. The background was his living room, exactly where the two of you were right now. You spun around trying to match the perspective of the photo, and saw that he probably took it from the chair he was sitting in now. You couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he let someone else sit in your seat. Well it wasn’t your seat, but it was the seat you usually sat in and-

“You still haven’t figured it out yet, have you?” You were so focused on Yuchan’s phone that you didn’t notice his snoring had stopped nor the groan that he let out when he woke up. You blinked at him, shocked that he caught you in the act. A drunken smirk appeared on his face, as if he was sharing the same thoughts.

“Is this my seat?” you spluttered, unable to select a better question from the jumble that was your mind.

“Yeah, it’s your seat. Well I mean, when you’re around it’s yours. Junhee tends to take it when you aren’t.”

“Wait, this isn’t Junhee.”

He let out a chuckle. “That is indeed not Junhee.”

“Then who is it?”

“I mean, it’s your seat, Y/N. No one else is gonna sit in it,” Yuchan said groggily, ending with a small hiccup that you’d normally laugh at, but you were still processing the image and what he was saying.

“This is me? When was this taken? This hoodie isn’t mine,” you pointed at the screen.

Yuchan hummed in thought, amused at your barrage of questions. “A couple of months ago? I’m pretty sure the sweater’s Hyunjin’s.”

Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Why don’t I remember any of this?”

“Because you got super drunk after your last exam and the three jins dropped you off at my place. I sat you down in that chair to get you clothes to change into, but by the time I came back, you were asleep.”

“And then you decided to take a picture,” you stated, challenging him with your gaze.

“Yes.”

“Why hold my hand though?”

He propped his head up with his hand to level his gaze with you. “Why not?” He countered with a smirk, narrowing his eyes at you.

“B-because that’s uhh,” you blinked, suddenly a smidge more sober, and looked away. Intoxicated Yuchan, however, continued forward with increased vigour.

“Super romantic? Reserved for couples? Which we aren’t?” He took the opportunity to voice your concerns, and you could only nod in agreement. Yuchan could sense your uncertainty as clear as day, just like the day you met. “You know, nothing would really change if we started dating,” he said softly. When you didn’t reply and he saw the worry swimming in your eyes, he held your hand and added, “I’d be okay if you wanted to date. I’d also be okay with forgetting everything I just said and staying as friends, too. I know we’ve avoided this topic for a long time, but I think it’s because we didn’t want to say it out loud and make it true.”

Through the drunken haze, Yuchan’s words shot straight and true into your heart. You decided to make eye contact and for once, you recognized the love in Yuchan’s eyes that everyone had been talking about. You decided to lace your fingers with his and smiled mischievously, “You’re so annoying, Yuchan.”

He blinked in confusion. “Wait, wha-”

“You talk too much,” you giggled, and from his wild laughter a moment later you knew he understood the meaning of your words.

He let out an exasperated groan. “Ugh, you drive me crazy,” Yuchan sighed with a smile, burying his head into his arm.

You pulled his hand towards you and nuzzled it with your cheek before kissing it. “Thank you for being my star.”


End file.
